Sharing Field Spectroscopy Data within Large Data Sharing Systems

There is urgency in acquiring continuous high quality spectroscopy data to solve problems in Earth systems science (Milton et al., 2009). Informing users and stakeholders of field spectroscopy datasets of the impact of high-quality data and metadata in the context of Earth observing data systems is an additional challenge facing the remote sensing community. Quality assurance of field spectroscopy datasets necessitates oversight and standardization, both at local, national, and international scales and is a way of ensuring robust metadata protocols for field spectroscopy. The need for a standardized methodology for collecting field spectroscopy metadata has increased with the emergence of data sharing initiatives such as NASA’s EOSDIS (Earth Science Data and Information System) LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) network, Australian Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), SpecNet, and some of the smaller ad hoc spectral libraries and databases created by remote sensing communities internationally. This paper presents the central considerations for largescale distribution and discoverability of field spectroscopy datasets and their metadata.